Helene Love-Allotey
Head of Department
Lot 132
Jane Alexander(South African, born 1959)Street Cadets with Harbinger: Wish, Walk/Loop, Long 109 x 225 x 90cm (42 15/16 x 88 9/16 x 35 7/16in). (overall)
Amended
12 October 2023, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond Street£120,000 - £180,000
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Jane Alexander (South African, born 1959)
Street Cadets with Harbinger: Wish, Walk/Loop, Long
Reinforced plaster, oil paint, found clothing and objects, sheep pelt, rabbit pelt, wood and steel
109 x 225 x 90cm (42 15/16 x 88 9/16 x 35 7/16in). (overall)
Reinforced plaster, oil paint, found clothing and objects, sheep pelt, rabbit pelt, wood and steel
109 x 225 x 90cm (42 15/16 x 88 9/16 x 35 7/16in). (overall)
Footnotes
Provenance
A private collection.
Exhibited
British Museum, London, Southern Africa, the art of a nation, (October 2016- February 2017).
Literature
Polly Savage, Making Art in Africa 1960-2010, (Surrey: Lund Humphries, 2014), pp, 238-239. (illustrated)
John Giblin & Chris Spring, South Africa, the art of a nation, (London: Thames & Hudson and The British Museum, 2017), pp. 216-217. (illustrated)
Chris Spring, Angaza Afrika, African Art Now, (London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd, 2008), p. 31. (illustrated)
Jane Alexander has cemented herself on the global stage as a renowned multi-disciplinary artist. Recognised for her grotesque sculptures, the artist maintains a social commentary that recognises South Africa's traumatic Apartheid ridden past. Growing up surrounded by the grotesque nature of the apartheid society, Jane Alexander reflects themes of childhood such as in the present lot, combatting the societal segregation that affected people from domestic living, to political, social and education systems.
"'Street cadets with harbinger' is one of a number of works that make reference to displaced children encountered and observed on the street in the city of Cape Town between 1990 and 2000. This was a period of transition in South Africa from apartheid to a democratically elected government, and throughout that period, groups of children lived on Long Street around my home [...] 'Street cadets' makes reference to two children known to me at the time - a baby kept in a supermarket trolley by his homeless parents, and the rare occurrence of a girl living on the street [...] The title refers to text on the sculpted baby's jacket, and to Loop and Long streets in Cape Town, the two major parallel one-way streets in the centre, where the children spent their days and often slept."(Jane Alexander in conversation with Polly Savage (2013) in Polly Savage, Making Art in Africa 1960-2010, (Surrey: Lund Humphries, 2014), pp, 217.)
The present work epitomises the contrasting themes that embody the artist's most successful works. Here we are presented with childlike figures, generally seen as vulnerable characters that are typically protected by society. The natural impulse of the viewer is conflicted given the masked, anonymous representations, instead providing us with feelings of unease given the comparison and distortion to animals and dehumanisation of the figures. The innocence of the figures seems to foreshadow that one day they will grow up, and the sinister insinuations that they seem to already be displaying will also develop. As ever with Alexander's work, a warning element seems to be present in the undertones of the figures overall appearance.Street Cadets with Harbinger explores the vulnerability and malleability of children. Themes of vulnerability and malleability of children is common theme of Alexander's given its comparison to one of her most notable works, Bom Boys of 1998. In this work she blurs the lines between our understanding of if the subjects are intimidated or the intimidator.
Bibliography
Polly Savage, Making Art in Africa 1960-2010, (Surrey: Lund Humphries, 2014)
Chris Spring, Angaza Afrika, African Art Now, (London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd, 2008)
John Giblin & Chris Spring, South Africa, the art of a nation, (London: Thames & Hudson and The British Museum, 2017)
Saleroom notices
Please note: The present work was produced in the years 1997-1998. Furthermore, the correct tile of this work is 'Street cadets with harbinger: wish, walk/Loop, Long', and only the words 'Street', 'Loop', and 'Long' should be capitalized.
